Counting and signaling apparatus



(No Model.)

B. E. WATERS. COUNTING AND SIGNALING APPARATUS.

No. 588,670. Patented Aug. 24,1897.

/NVENTOH WW W/TNESSES:

A TTOHNE YS.

' UNITED [STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN ELLIOTT VATERS, OF BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OFONE-HALF TO THE SOUTHERN MASSACHUSETTS TELEPHONE COM- PANY, OF NEW?BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

COUNTING AN-D SIGNALING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 588,670, dated August24, 1897.

Application filed February 8, 1897. Serial No. 622,458. (No model.)

To all whom, i2; 777/601/ concern: (1 d connected at 61 The spring 1extend- Be it known that I, BENJAMIN ELLIOTT 7A ing by the joint in thelever, revents the arm TERs, of Brockton, in the county of Plymouth dfrom swinging on its pivot 61 until the and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented a counting operation has been completed, and new and usefulCounting and Signaling Apthe arm d brings up against the stop d whenparatus, of which the following is aspecificathe arm 61 is swung onpivot 61 against the tion, reference being had to the accompanyforce ofspring CV, for a purpose explained ing drawings, in which below.

Figure 1 is an elevation of my apparatus The signaling apparatusconsists of the in- :o with the case removed. Fig. 2 is a sectionalsulated electrode A, which forms one termi- 6o elevation on line 2 2 ofFig. 1, looking in the nal of the battery-circuit, and thespring-elecdirection indicated by the arrow. Fig. 3 is a trode B, whichforms the other terminal of partial elevation, and Fig. l is anelevation the battery-circuit and is normallyin contact showing myapparatus with the casing in with electrode A. Arm d of the jointed le-1 5 place. ver carries fingerf. lVhen theleveris moved 65 My inventionis the combination, with a from right to left and arm 61 swung on pivotcounting apparatus, of an electrically-operd the finger f strikesagainst the springated signaling apparatus so arranged that theelectrode B and pushes it out of contact with operation of the countingapparatus causes electrode A, thus breaking the circuit and -20 thesignaling apparatus to operate. giving a signal. The lever is pulledback to My invention is intended especially for use place by spring h.with a telephone to enable the user to keep It will be clear that thejointed lever renaccount of the number of times it is used, but ders itcertain that the counting mechanism it is of course applicable in allcases in which will be operated before the signaling mech- 25 it isdesirable that the user of any instrument anism, the spring 02 whichextends by the should keep count of the number of times it joint, beingstrong enough to prevent the arm is used and also to make or break acircuit 01 from swinging on its pivot d until the when the instrument isused. counting mechanism is operated. Thejointed In the drawings I haveshown my invention lever also prevents the breaking of the mech- 0 witha counting apparatus composed of three anism when the counting mechanismcan no disks a a a each bearing figures from 0 longer be operated, forwhen the stop m on to 9,the disk abeing operated by the movedisk a isagainst screw m arm cl of the ment of the jointed lever, through pawl c,jointed lever will be hold fast, but arm (1 can mounted on arm cl of thejointed lever and still be moved against the force of spring (1*,

35 ratchet c eachmovement of arm dfromright but the finger will notengage electrode 13,

to left causing disk a to turn one member. and no signal will be given.

The disk a is turned once for each revolution My invention is especiallyadapted for use of disk a by pin 0 on ratchet c engaging with with atelephone in places where the charge gear 9 and disk a is turned oncefor each for the telephone is regulated by the number 40 revolution ofdisk a by pin (1 and on gear of times it is used. In such a case theuser 0 G engaging with gear 0 thus causing disk of the telephone callsup the central office a to register the units, disk a the tens, and andasks to be connected. If the line is not disk c the hundreds. The disk ahas an busy, the operator at the central office before arm m projectingfrom its under side. This connecting the user tells him to count, where5 arm is so arranged with relation to a stop on upon the user pressesthe lever from right to 5 in the casing that when the counter registersleft, counting one and also giving a signal to 999 the arm m is againststop an and prethe operator that he has done so. vents the furtheroperation of the counting I have shown the end of thespring-elecmechanism. The counting mechanism is optrode B provided witha shoulder which en- 50 erated by the jointed lever, made up of armsgages with the toothed end of finger f. It

Will be clear that by this construction the circuit is broken and closedby the passage of finger f by the end of electrode 13 and that thisopening and closing Will give the signal to the operator at the centraloffice.

That I claim as my invention is- The counting and signaling apparatusabove described made up of the disks a a 60 the jointed lever made up ofarms cl d spring 61 fast to one arm of the jointed lever and passing bythe joint (1 pawl c on arm (1 engaging With ratchet 0 fast to disk a;in-

sulated electrode A; spring-electrode B normally in contact withelectrode A and finger f on arm (Z all arranged to cause the movement ofthe jointed lever to first operate the counting mechanism and then tooperate the signaling mechanism by the further movement of the arm (Zsubstantially as described.

BENJAMIN ELLIOTT \VATERS.

Witnesses:

WESLEY S. SNOW, A. H. GUNNING.

